Tag Archives: drakeequation

The Search for Extraterrestrial Life

One of the most exhilarating topics in astronomy to me is the search for extraterrestrial life. The Drake Equation is one way to estimate the number of active and communicative extraterrestrial civilizations in the Milky Way. This equation was formulated in 1961 by Frank Drake to stimulate intellectual discussion about the factors that influence extraterrestrial […] Continue reading

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Drake vs Seager Equation

The Drake Equation is The Seager Equation is Dr. Drake formulated his equation a century ago (in 1951) whereas Seager formulated hers approximately a decade (the interview was taken in 2013). As we can see, there are wild differences between the two equations. Seager’s equation only deals with all the stars that we’ve observed, which […] Continue reading

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The Drake Equation

Are we alone in the universe? This is the question that has driven years of space exploration and innovation. Humans have always wondered if there are other advanced civilizations similar to our own. Unfortunately, we lack technology that is advanced enough to know for certain. But in 1961, astronomer Frank Drake wrote an equation that […] Continue reading

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The Statistics of Life

Artist interpretation of Kepler-452b, currently the most Earthlike planet discovered, which could potentially have an atmosphere and life Source: NASA Ames/JPL-Caltech/T. Pyle When faced with an effectively boundless universe, it inevitable to ask the question of how many other lifeforms are out there. In asking this question we tend to be a bit biased, looking […] Continue reading

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What if life existed in every solar system?

The Drake equation investigates the likelihood of intelligent, communicating life existing on other worlds in our galaxy. But what if life could easily exist on other worlds, and there was life in every solar system around us? What could this potentially mean for us? First, we must consider the fact that the closest star to […] Continue reading

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Let’s Talk about Aliens

I don’t know about you, but thinking of aliens brings up images of UFOs and bright green skin, bulbous heads and an echo of “Take me to your leader.” However, this representation of extraterrestrial life is simply something made up by… Continue reading

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The Drake Equation

The Drake Equation is meant to predict the number of civilizations comparable to Earth out in the Milky Way Galaxy .  It was first proposed by Dr. Frank Drake in 1961. However, because we don’t currently know how many stars are actually in the milky way (we can only use a number from the observable … Continue reading The Drake Equation Continue reading

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The Fermi Paradox

After already having done research on the Drake equation and its implications for extra-solar life, the next question begs to be answered. If there really are so many earth-like planets out there that may have evolved intelligent life, why haven’t we heard from any of them? This is the underlying question that lies behind a […] Continue reading

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The Drake Equation, Exoplanets, Self Destructive Civilizations

N = R* • fp • ne • fl • fi • fc • L N = Detectable Electromagnetic emissions R* = Star Formation Rate … More Continue reading

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Drake Equation

One of the most interesting things that we have covered this semester is the Drake Equation. This equation uses probability to estimate the number of active, communicative extraterrestrial civilizations in the Milky Way Galaxy. What I like most about this … Continue reading Continue reading

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